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      Argentinian referee and VAR at centre of Scotland vs Hungary penalty row AXED from Euro 2024 as Uefa slam ‘major errors’

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      UEFA have AXED the blundering Argentinian ref who ignored Scotland’s penalty claim against Hungary – AND his VAR.Facundo Tello infuriated Steve Clarke by ignoring Willi Orban’s foul on Stuart Armstrong in Stuttgart – leading to a furious outburst from the Scotland boss.Referee Facundo Tello during the clash between Scotland and HungaryCredit: GettyReferee Facundo Tello shows Yellow card to Scott McTominayCredit: GettySteve Clarke was far from happy with Mr TelloCredit: Kenny RamsayBut Sunsport understands SIX on the 19 refereeing teams have been sent home after being told they won’t officiate any further matches in the tournament – and that Tello and his assistants Gabriel Chade and Ezequiel Brailovsky are among them.And Spanish sources are tonight reporting that Tello’s VAR Alejandro Hernandez has also been stood down for “not evaluating the play as indicated in the instructions” over the Armstrong incident. In fact, UEFA felt Hernandez failed to intervene on TWO penalty-box incidents in the Scotland v Hungary match.As well as the Armstrong flashpoint, UEFA bosses believed Grant Hanley’s first-half elbow on Endre Botka could also have been interpreted as a penalty to the Hungarians. UEFA are likely to announce on Friday which refereeing teams are staying on.And though there had been speculation that Tello would be given a knockout stages fourth official appointment in a bid to maintain the reciprocal courtesy agreement between UEFA and Conmebol, he looks to have paid the price for what’s viewed as a major error.The performance of the Argentinian in Stuttgart saw Clarke asked if he had spoken to the official.The Scotland boss responded: “He’s from Argentina — why would I ask him? Most read in Euro 2024“He probably doesn’t speak the language. I don’t know.Does Steve Clarke still have the desire in him to continue & has Callum McGregor played his last game for Scotland“Why is he here? Why is there not a European referee?”Those comments infuriated UEFA top brass who have yet to decide whether to charge Clarke for the remarks.The agreement between UEFA and Conmebol has seen Italian Maurizio Mariani at the Copa America, where he refereed the U.S.A.’s win over Bolivia.Scotland’s Stuart Armstrong falls after the challenge from Hungary’s Willi OrbanCredit: APReferee Facundo Tello speaks to Andrew Robertson of ScotlandCredit: GettyKeep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page More

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      Slovakia 1 Romania 1: Both sides qualify with the draw everyone expected as Slovaks face potential England clash

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      THE result we all expected.A draw that sent both teams through. Romania players celebrate their progression to the knockout stagesCredit: ReutersThe joy was shared by the SlovaksCredit: GettyRazvan Marin’s VAR-awarded penalty, cancelling out Ondrej Duda header for Slovakia, ensured parity and progression.But it was only in the final few minutes, as the sweltering afternoon made way for a torrential storm straight from a Roger Corman horror film, that the heat went out of this one. And nobody, NOBODY, should throw even a finger of suspicion at either side after they went at it hammer and tongs for at least 85 madcap minutes.The final whistle brought celebrations from every corner of the Waldstadion, with Romania finally aware they had ended up top of the group on goals scored.READ MORE IN football Joy all round, manic leaps of delight on the pitch and in the stands.Justifiably, too. For both sides, getting to the last 16 was a triumph, coming top of group E a true feat for Romania and their yellow wall of sound.And where the conspiracy theorists had enjoyed a field day beforehand, it was the fans who watched a real match that could not be quibbled with.It was a good one, too, Slovakia setting the pace with two blocked shots inside the first 13 seconds.Most read in FootballEURO 2024 LIVE: KEEP UP TO DATE WITH ALL THE LATEST NEWS FROM GERMANYCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSWho is Euro 2024’s sexiest star?EURO 2024 has something for everyone from stunning goals, thrilling matches… and the continent’s biggest hunks, writes Jack Figg.Several stars have lit up the group stages with their skills on the pitch – but others are also catching the eye for their looks.But who is the sexiest?Thankfully AI boffins have carried out an analysis on the facial attractiveness of all players at the tournament.And it’s bad news for Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions who are the fourth UGLIEST in the competition – one place below Scotland.In fact it’s England’s group rivals Serbia who have fans swooning the most – boasting an average score of 77.90/100 with defender Strahinja Pavlovic deemed their most attractive.While Turkey defender Mert Muldur has been ranked as the tournament’s BEST-LOOKING player.But who is England’s sexiest star, and who makes the Euros’ hunkiest XI? Read our full story.Romania responded, blue-haired right back Andrej Ratiu wriggling through to take aim for the far corner, his shot parried by Newcastle’s Martin Dubravka before Ianis Hagi, son of Romanian legend Gheorghe, blazed the rebound off target.But Slovakia went in front after 24 minutes.’They’ll get the shock of their lives’ – Gary Neville hands England stars stern warning after Slovenia bore drawThe ball was spread right and Juraj Kucka, a veteran of the 2010 World Cup win over Italy, swung in a high, hanging ball that Duda gleefully headed down and past keeper Florin Nita.So much for the “agreed nil-nil”. Briefly, Slovakia were going through as group winners – and Romania were heading home.Not for long. Hagi tumbled as he tried to go past left-back David Hancko, with German ref Daniel Siebert initially deeming the foul outside the box.The first contact certainly was but there was another on the other side of the line, spotted by the VAR booth in Leipzig.Ondrej Duda opened the scoring for SlovakiaCredit: ReutersIt sent them on their way to qualificationCredit: AFPAfter an age, the spot-kick was given, drilled into the top corner by Marin. The chances continued. Romania striker Denis Dragus prodded wastefully wide while Haraslin did the hard work but fired straight at Nita.Dubravka saved from goalscorer Marin at full-stretch and then was relieved as Dragus’ effort flashed over the top before Nita denied David Strelec with his left boot and Haraslin was a whisker wide.By now it was apocalyptic as the rain lashed down, accompanied by thunder and lightning.As that eased, so did the tempo. The price of a mistake was now outweighing the rationale for gambling.READ MORE SUN STORIESFair enough. They had both given their all. No deals, no pact. Just shared delight.Razvan Marin levelled the scoringCredit: ReutersRomania topped the group with the drawCredit: AFP More

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      Fans left baffled by little-known VAR rule as Romania are awarded ‘ridiculous’ penalty against Slovakia

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      FANS were outraged by VAR handing Romania a penalty against Slovakia in their Euro 2024 crunch.Razvan Marin’s spot-kick brought his side level before the break in a crucial Group E decider.The referee gave a free-kick for this foul outside the boxRomania drew level before half-timeCredit: GettyBut viewers felt Slovakia were hard done by.Ianis Hagi was brought down by David Hancko on the edge of the box and there was a second collision inside the area.Referee Daniel Siebert initially gave a free-kick but VAR intervened and awarded a penalty without sending the official to the monitor.One fan posted on X: “That Romania penalty is ridiculous lol.”READ MORE EURO 2024 NEWSA second added: “There’s the slightest touch of his boot on his toe but even when that happens it’s outside the box, then he runs into the box and falls over. “Crazy how VAR gave that and also didn’t even tell the Ref to check the monitor.”A third added: “Disagree about penalty and also ref should have gone to the monitor not just accept what VAR said. “Contact in the box initiated by Hagi, free-kick outside would have been correct decision.”Most read in Euro 2024The official explanation is that VAR is allowed to make an objective decision, such as correcting the referee when the contact was made in a different location.In this case, the controversy surrounds the fact that the initial foul was outside the area with a second coming together inside the box which the official may have taken another view of.England vs Slovenia Player RatingsThe goal could have a huge impact on the race for the last 16.All four teams in Group E began the day on three points, meaning the quartet can finish in any position.Depending on the results of tonight’s Group F games, the third-placed team from Group E could play England in the last 16.Thanks to their draw, Romania and Slovakia are both in the knockout phase.The Romanians went through as group winners and Slovakia as one of the best third-placed teams.Belgium finished second after a 0-0 draw with Ukraine, who were sent home in fourth. More

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      ‘How poetic’ – Scotland fans brutally trolled over anti-England chant after Steve Clarke’s bizarre Argentine ref rant

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      ODE dear! England fans reckon their Scottish counterparts suffered “poetic” justice with a controversial Euro 2024 exit.Steve Clarke blasted the use of an Argentinian referee after the Tartan Army were denied a “100 per cent” penalty in Hungary’s 1-0 win.Scotland fans sung and danced to taunt England over Diego Maradona’s notorious role in the Three Lions’ 1986 World Cup quarter-finals exitSteve Clarke is sure Scotland were wrongly denied a penaltyBut some Three Lions’ supporters claimed the Scottish misfortune was “karma”.That’s because just days earlier Tartan Army followers in Munich had chanted their joy at England’s notorious 1986 World Cup quarter-final defeat against Argentina.The Scots spiced up the Hokey-Cokey with the line: “Oh, Diego Maradona. He put the English out, out, out!”Maradona’s wrongly-allowed “Hand of God” goal set Argentina up for a 2-1 victory on the way to winning the tournament in Mexico almost 38 years ago to the day. READ MORE EURO 2024 NEWSAnd a fellow countryman of the Napoli legend also had a contentious role as Scotland again failed to progress from the group stages.Ref Facundo Tello ignored appeals for a spot-kick at 0-0 in the second half.Manchester United’s Scott McTominay slipped Stuart Armstrong through, with the Southampton midfielder surging in front of Willi Orban but going down under the defender’s challenge.VAR assessed the incident but declined to recommend an on-field review.MOST READ IN FOOTBALLStuart Armstrong was furious not to get a spot-kickCredit: EPAEURO 2024 FREE BETS AND OFFERSEURO 2024 LIVE: KEEP UP TO DATE WITH ALL THE LATEST NEWS FROM GERMANYAnd in the end Kevin Csoboth fired a breakaway winner for Hungary 10 minutes into stoppage time.The match had needed a lengthy hold-up as Hungarian forward Barnabas Varga was knocked unconscious in a sickening collision with Scotland keeper Angus Gunn.Play Foden & Bellingham centrally & go for it! | Jack Wilshere’s plan to win the EurosVarga was taken to hospital and has had surgery for a fractured cheekbone.Afterwards, Clarke had no doubts his team were robbed of a spot-kick – but the extent of his outburst still surprised many.The ex-Chelsea defender and former Reading manager, 60, said: “It’s 100 per cent a penalty and someone has to explain to me why it’s not. “Because otherwise I’m thinking there’s something wrong.“Did I have a conversation with the officials? What’s the point, he’s from Argentina. “What’s the point? Why is it not a European referee? Trying to be clever, I dunno, I don’t understand.  “I don’t understand why he’s here and not in his own country refereeing a game. “I don’t understand how VAR can look at that and say it’s not a penalty.  That’s just my opinion.  It’s 100 per-cent a penalty.”Meet Germany’s Euro 2024 Wags
      Germany’s Wags range from a glam architect to a leading equestrian and a fashion model.
      Dani ter Stegen (Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s wife)
      One of Germany’s most popular Wags with over 600,000 Instagram followers. Earned a degree in architecture after moving to Barcelona with her husband.
      Sara Gundogan (Ilkay Gundogan’s wife)
      Italian model was never shy to pop a dig at Manchester while Ilkay was at Man City, but has changed her tune and said she misses the city since his move to Barcelona.
      Jessica Kroos (Toni Kroos’ wife)
      Couple first met when Toni was 18 and she was 20. Jessica is credited with convincing the soon-to-retire Germany star to sign a new Real Madrid deal at a time when he was wavering.
      Candice Brook (Leroy Sane’s girlfriend)
      American model helped Harry Kane get used to Germany and overcome the language barrier following his move to Bayern Munich.
      Sophia Weber (Kai Havertz’s fiancee)
      Soon-to-be Mrs Havertz has struck up a close friendship with Martin Odegaard’s partner Helene Spilling. Sophia recently enjoyed a hen party in Ibiza.
      Lisa Muller (Thomas Muller’s wife)
      Lisa is a famous dressage rider in Germany and reportedly convinced her husband not to join Man Utd.
      Find out more about the Germany Euro 2024 Wags here

      But Clarke received little sympathy from England fans who had viewed the Hand of God Hokey-Cokey from Scottish counterparts.Sharing a clip of that dancing, one Three Lions’ supporter posted: “How poetic is it that an Argentinian referee denied them a stonewall penalty to send them out after this video. See ya lads airports that way.”Another wrote: “Karma is a b****.”And a third taunted the Scots further by joking: “Gave it their best shot … well one shot anyway.”READ MORE SUN STORIESBut plenty of viewers insisted the spot-kick was far from clear-cut, with many arguing that in fact Armstrong had been the initial offender.Ex-England frontman Alan Shearer backed Clarke’s verdict on the penalty – slamming Orban’s “terrible challenge” – but fellow BBC pundit Chris Sutton was certain the ref’s decision was correct.The stats show what little impact the Scots made going forward More

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      Premier League referee RELEGATED by Uefa as fans hail ‘good sign’ after being left fuming by VAR chaos

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      PREMIER LEAGUE referee Craig Pawson has been relegated to Uefa’s Second list.The Englishman, 45, has been replaced by John Brooks on the governing body’s First list – which also includes Chris Kavanagh.Premier League referee Craig Pawson has been relegated by UefaCredit: GettyMichael Oliver and Anthony Taylor remain the two Premier League officials on Uefa’s Elite list.Pawson joins Stuart Attwell, Darren England, Jarred Gillett, Rob Jones and Andy Madley on the Second list – the third tier for Uefa officials.According to ESPN, Brooks, 34, had the best stats of all Premier League refs in the 2023/24 season, while he also ranked second as a VAR.Pawson caught unwanted headlines for particular key decisions including disallowing a late Chelsea goal against Aston Villa for a dubious foul back in April.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLThe Premier League has just four refs on Uefa’s Elite and First lists – Oliver, Taylor, Brooks and Kavanagh.That is compared with six for officials in France, Germany and Italy.Spain and Romania also boast five referees on the two lists.It comes after English officials were criticised for their handling of a controversial decision in the game between Holland and France at Euro 2024 on Friday night.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSMark Halsey on France vs Netherlands VAR
      ENGLISH VAR officials . . . here we go again.
      Stuart Attwell took far too long to make a call on Xavi Simons’ strike and he got it wrong by sticking with the on-field decision.
      It was a ‘good’ goal because Denzel Dumfries should not have been adjudged offside.
      Holland’s Dumfries did not affect the line of vision for France keeper Mike Maignan, who made no attempt to save a shot he could not have reached.
      It means wing-back Dumfries was not involved in ‘active’ play.
      The VAR decision-making had been so slick in Germany up until last night.
      But with VAR Attwell, who should have sent English referee Anthony Taylor to the pitchside monitor, we had the slowest decision of Euro 2024 so far — which took just under three minutes.

      Xavi Simons thought he had given the Dutch a second-half lead, only for referee Taylor to disallow the goal after consulting his assistant.VAR Attwell, 41, then spent a lengthy amount of time reviewing the incident before he stuck with the on-field decision.’No excuse for that’ – Alan Shearer fumes at abject England as Three Lions legend says ‘Denmark deserved to win’ EURO 2024 LIVE: KEEP UP TO DATE WITH ALL THE LATEST NEWS FROM GERMANYThis led to uproar among football fans, while Holland manager Ronaldo Koeman said: “If it’s offside, then you don’t need to spend five minutes touching your ear.”I don’t understand this. If you have this much doubt, you give a goal.”Dumfries did not hinder the goalkeeper. It wasn’t because of Dumfries that Maignan didn’t go for the ball, Maignan did not react because he simply couldn’t get to the ball anyway.”He would have never reached that ball. It’s a legal goal. Once again, he’s not disturbing the goalkeeper.”The game ended goalless as Netherlands and France move onto four points each heading into their final group games against Austria and Poland.Pundits and legends lay into EnglandENGLAND’s lifeless display in the 1-1 draw with Denmark left pundits and legends queuing up to take a dig at Gareth Southgate’s team.
      Here’s the best of what was said…
      ALAN SHEARER
      “Awful performance, particularly after going up in the game.
      “I don’t think one England player can look at themselves and say, ‘I’ve done my job tonight’.
      “England were all over the place, far too sloppy in possession, gave the ball away too much and got caught too many times.
      “There was no energy, no pace, no guile — Southgate is simply not getting the best out of England’s best players.
      “It’s concerning and Gareth will get some serious questions.
      “You saw England players lying on their backs — they look absolutely shattered but there’s no excuse for that.”
      GARY LINEKER
      The BBC host called the performance “lifeless and tepid”.
      On Harry Kane he said: “He needs his manager to ask more of him. I would have expected that if I’d put in that kind of performance.”
      RIO FERDINAND
      “The players don’t look the same as they do for their clubs. It is a big concern.”
      ROY KEANE
      “Courage and bravery, we’re not really seeing it.
      “There’s something amiss with the balance. Bellingham is waving his arms.
      “This is a big test for Gareth. It looks like he’s overthinking things.”
      JAMIE CARRAGHER
      “My big worry watching this and for the rest of the tournament?
      “England look absolutely knackered. They can’t get close to the ball.
      “The surest sign of fatigue is dropping deep.
      “Declan Rice is having to cover so much ground. No-one can convince me this is a strategy.”
      JACK WILSHERE
      “It’s strange that we have taken the lead in both games so far, yet instead of it settling us down and giving us the confidence to play, we have failed to take control.
      “But what was most worrying was that Denmark had a clear way of playing — while we didn’t.” More

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      ‘Trust the English refs’ – Fans fume as Holland have goal ruled out by VAR in ‘first offside decision to take ages’

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      HOLLAND fans were left fuming after having a goal ruled out in their clash with France.The two sides played out a goalless draw in Leipzig on Friday night in their second match of Euro 2024.Xavi Simons had a goal ruled out for offside against FranceCredit: GettyVAR agreed Denzel Dumfries interfered with play from an offside positionCredit: ReutersDespite being a tight encounter, the Dutch thought they had taken the lead during the second half.Xavi Simons’ strike was ruled out for offside by Anthony Taylor, though, before VAR agreed with the on-field decision.The midfielder’s low strike from the edge of the box beat Mike Maignan in the France goal to find the bottom corner.However, Denzel Dumfries was stood in an offside position to the goalkeeper’s left.READ MORE EURO 2024 NEWSBoth Taylor, his assistant referee and the VAR officials agreed Dumfries was interfering with play due to his proximity to Maignan and disallowed the goal.The decision was finalised after a lengthy VAR check, to the anger of supporters.Reacting to the decision on social media, one fan wrote: “Typical that the first offside decision to take ages… comes when English referees are using the technology.”Another added: “Didn’t even need to see them to know it’s an English VAR team.”Most read in Euro 2024CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSA third supporter also commented: “Terrible decision by the English ref and English VAR, what a shock, not.”Meanwhile, one more said: “Trust the English refs to take absolutely forever to make the wrong decision.”Kylian Mbappe’s new mask revealed as France training mask is bannedNetherlands Euro 2024 guideRONALD KOEMAN has overhauled Holland’s playing style after returning for a second stint in charge.

      Captain Virgil van Dijk will be expected to be a stalwart in defence while Xavi Simons will be hoping for a breakout tournament. But they may miss injured Frenkie de Jong.
      MANAGER: Ronald Koeman
      Ex-Barcelona and Everton boss was the scourge of England as a player when he knocked Graham Taylor’s side out of World Cup qualifying in 1994.
      STAR MAN: Virgil van Dijk
      Liverpool star has won everything there is to win at club level and will be counted on to keep things tight at the back.
      How Holland attack
      The Netherlands will play with a typically Dutch patient possession-based build-up.
      They will stagger their positions to play through the lines, but can be overly individualistic in the final third.
      How Holland defend
      The Dutch will play with a medium block, allowing the opposition to break the first line before engaging in the midfield area.
      They can run into problems when they fail to protect the middle of the pitch.
      Read the full Netherlands 2024 guide here, including predicted line-ups, odds and Wags

      Taylor is one of two English referees at Euro 2024, with Michael Oliver also at the tournament.Oliver has already taken charge of Spain’s win over Croatia and Ukraine’s victory against Slovakia, with Friday night’s match Taylor’s first assignment.Mark Halsey on France vs Netherlands VAR
      ENGLISH VAR officials . . . here we go again.
      Stuart Attwell took far too long to make a call on Xavi Simons’ strike and he got it wrong by sticking with the on-field decision.
      It was a ‘good’ goal because Denzel Dumfries should not have been adjudged offside.
      Holland’s Dumfries did not affect the line of vision for France keeper Mike Maignan, who made no attempt to save a shot he could not have reached.
      It means wing-back Dumfries was not involved in ‘active’ play.
      The VAR decision-making had been so slick in Germany up until last night.
      But with VAR Attwell, who should have sent English referee Anthony Taylor to the pitchside monitor, we had the slowest decision of Euro 2024 so far — which took just under three minutes.

      Neither side was able to find an opener following Simons’ disallowed goal.The draw also means both France and Netherlands are yet to book their place in the last 16.EURO 2024 LIVE: KEEP UP TO DATE WITH ALL THE LATEST NEWS FROM GERMANY More

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      Netherlands 0 France 0: Dutch left fuming after VAR controversy as wasteful French struggle without Mbappe

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      STOCKLEY PARK has gone on tour for the summer and brought Premier League chaos to the Euros.After everybody had praised officials at this tournament for their use of VAR – the English arrived.Antoine Griezmann missed a brilliant chance in the first halfCredit: ReutersXavi Simons thought he scored a brilliant opener in the second halfCredit: ReutersDenzel Dumfries was caught in an offside positionCredit: BBCKylian Mbappe missed the match due to his broken noseCredit: AFPYou can argue the toss on whether the duo of ref Anthony Taylor and VAR, Stuart Atwell, were right to rule out what would have been a winner for Xavi Simons.But the clear fact is it should not take nearly three agonising minutes to work out if an offside player is getting in the way of a ball or not – well done lads, good process.The dithering sucked the life out of a game that, while goalless, had bubbled nicely with chances at either end – and been well officiated, allowed to breathe, to that point.Chances that, had they been taken, would have seen France win by a mile.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLBut that was their problem – the masked man, Kylian Mbappe, never came close to getting on.France had feared Mbappe would be able to play no role in their biggest game of the group stages. But the Real Madrid-bound superstar recovered in time to be named on the bench – although his inclusion appeared to be simply mind games from boss Didier Decschamps.Mbappe took his seat on the bench and did not move from it once – not even to warm up.Aurelien Tchouameni, who has recovered from a foot injury, came into the side with Antoine Griezmann pushed into a more advanced role.Most read in Euro 2024CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSThe France end of the Red Bull Arena was dotted with supporters wearing homemade versions of Mbappe’s mask, bearing the tricolore flag, his initials and number 10.Ronald Koeman had demanded his Netherlands side show more bravery on the ball and brought in Jeremie Frimpong to add some more firepower to his forward line – Wout Weghorst remained on the bench despite his winner last time out.Kylian Mbappe’s new mask revealed as France training mask is bannedThe Bayer Leverkusen winger made an instant impact, driving beyond the French defence in the opening minute and forcing Mike Maignan to tip around the post.There were fears that, having both got an opening day win in Group D, this could be a tame contest between two former winners.But just minutes after Frimpong’s early effort, Bart Verbruggen was scrambling to push Griezmann’s dipping effort over his bar.The Dutch had the greater backing in Leipzig and made a more threatening start, but France should have been ahead after 12 minutes.Griezmann said ahead of the game that he wanted more touches of the ball – something he may have been regretting after dropping an absolute clanger.Marcus Thuram played Adrien Rabiot clean through with a delightful backheel. Instead of slotting home the midfielder surprisingly prodded the ball left to Griezmann, who appeared surprised by the decision and instead of tapping into an empty net collapsed in a heap.The Atletico Madrid man had the chance to make amends moments later when N’Golo Kante, superb once more, squared to him in the box but the shot was wide.Both sides were at the same time wonderful and wasteful – some superb breaks were sparked by sloppy play on the ball from those in orange and in white.It was making for a fine encounter.Griezmann, captain for the night in Mbappe’s absence, was at fault on both sides. Wasting chances and gifting possession, but at the heart of most France openings – heading into Verbruggen’s hands from Adrien Rabiot’s cross just before the interval.For all the chances created, France appeared to be lacking the efficient cutting edge Mbappe always carries.They may have won the opener with an own-goal, but it was their captain’s work which forced it.The profligacy continued after the restart, Rabiot scooping an effort into the sky from Dembele’s whipped cross before Thuram dragged one wide.At least the French chances were still flowing – the Dutch struggled to get out of their own half for most of the second half.France were getting closer. Tchoumeni headed narrowly over from Dembele’s corner – Griezmann should have scored again, fluffing his lines from yards out once more having been teed up by Kante.Dembele then sent one whistling over the bar.It looked as if the Netherlands had punished all those wasted chances when Simons smashed home, though after an interminably long VAR break the goal was ruled out for offside against Denzel Dumfries, who had been blocked Maignan from diving to stop the ball.Just to rub it in for Simons, who had a disappointing first game, he was withdrawn once the decision had been confirmed.READ MORE SUN STORIESDeschamps made his changes – but still Mbappe stayed fixed to his seat as Olivier Giroud and Kingsley Coman were sent on.But the game never really got going after the disallowed goal. It is a result which really harms neither nation in their pursuit of qualification to the knockouts. The only real dent is on English officiating.EURO 2024 LIVE: KEEP UP TO DATE WITH ALL THE LATEST NEWS FROM GERMANY More

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      Belgium goal ruled out using never-before-seen ‘cricket’ technology as VAR gets major upgrade

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      BELGIUM were denied a late equaliser against Slovakia courtesy of a piece of technology never before seen in football.The Red Devils suffered a shock 1-0 defeat in their opening game of Euro 2024 after Ivan Schranz pounced on an early Jeremy Doku error.Romelu Lukaku was denied a late equaliser by some new technologyCredit: GettyA new Snicko feature showed the impact the handball had on the flight of the ballCredit: ITVBelgium thought they had an equaliser on 56 minutes when Romelu Lukaku slid in to convert from close range from Amadou Onana’s knock down, only for a VAR check to rule him as being offside.But with just four minutes of normal time remaining, the ex-Chelsea and Manchester United forward finally thought he had his goal.Substitute Lois Openda did superbly down the left to race away and find his team-mate in the middle to slot home.However, a new piece of technology intervened to deny Lukaku once again.READ MORE EURO 2024 NEWSAnd it reminded most of the snickometer, commonly known as Snicko.That is the system used in cricket to determine whether the ball touched the edge of the bat for a potential dismissal such as a catch or leg before wicket.Referee Umut Meler went over to the pitchside screen following a VAR check where he judged that Openda had handled the ball as he got away from his man down the wing.But while the official made his decision, a new feature popped up on screen that showed how much the touch by his hand affected the flight of the ball to help him make up his mind.Most read in Euro 2024BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSEx-Premier League forward Chris Sutton called the decision “scandalous” on BBC’s website, saying: “It is ridiculous, it really is. Openda doesn’t intentionally push the ball into his path.“That is harsh. In the Premier League that goal would stand.”England fans drink 2 MONTHS worth of beer in one Euros weekend at German pizzeria that became unlikely ‘Little Wembley’But Christina Unkel, ITV’s referee analyst, explained: “The deliberation interpretation has recently changed.“However, this is going to be considered a deliberate offence as the arm is near the shoulder level because the arm is extended and the touch helps control the ball.”We reported previously how fans at home watching Euro 2024 will benefit from an equivalent of cricket’s “snickometer” this summer.For the first time ever, broadcasters will be sent a “touch detection” graphic that is used by tournament referees to make key decisions.The technology can offer greater clarity around offside and handball decisions made by officials.Images will be available to viewers whenever they are used to make a significant judgement during any European Championship game.Match balls at Euro 2024 are fitted with a motion-sensing microchip that can track every touch at a rate of 500 times a second.READ MORE SUN STORIESThe high-tech “Connected ball” was effectively used at the World Cup in Qatar two years ago.It is capable of determining whether the ball makes contact with a hand en route to goal or whether a player strayed beyond the last defender at the exact moment the ball was played. More